Parents need to know that this romantic comedy is riddled with gags centering on major family dysfunction. And there's real bite underneath the laughs: The central couple (played by teen favorites Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn) finds out soon enough that they don't really know enough about each other, and their families beat them up -- both physically and emotionally. It's all played for laughs, of course, which takes some of the edge off, but younger kids may still wind up perturbed by the scenes of familial mayhem. There's also some swearing (including "s--t") and social drinking, as well as some innuendo and implied sex.

Families can talk about why so many holiday movies focus on dysfunctional family relationships.

Are real families really as out there as the ones in movies like this? Does watching their antics make you feel better (or worse) about your own? Do you think that's the point?

In this movie, why do you think Brad and Kate are estranged from their families? Is it justified, or are they being selfish?

What are your own family celebrations like? Why are holiday get-togethers often fraught with tension (both in the media and in reality)?

The good stuff

Messages: Fathers belittle their sons; brothers beat on each other; mothers neglect their daughters in pursuit of their next romance; and a father finally confesses to being a horrible role model. Plus, two people discover they have many more differences than they cared to admit. The lead couple live a Yuppie-fied life in which vacationing in exotic resorts seems to be the main engine of their relationship. Still, even the most awkward situation is mined for humor, and in the end, trite as it may sound, they find their way back to each other.

What to watch for

Violence: Lots of heavy-duty wrestling that, at first, seems purely funny until you realize there's a bullying element to it. Some yelling and screaming. A man falls off the roof clutching an antenna, starting a chain reaction that has the television smashed to bits and a fire igniting on the carpet.

Sex: Within the first half hour, a couple indulges in some serious double entendre and then makes out heavily in a bathroom stall; later, it's implied that they have sex (audiences just see them leaving a bathroom looking slightly unkempt). An older woman has a relationship with her son's best friend, and he discusses their sex life. Another woman is involved with a "rock star"-like pastor and drops sexual innuendoes, even ones aimed at her daughter's boyfriend. Men openly ogle women's cleavage.

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